The life within

Lucia Baldini is a photographer who has spent many years working in theatrical settings, capturing the movement of dancers and performers of every type. This exensive exposure to a world of silent expression and creativity has lead to her great ability to trasmit this wealth of emotion in all of her work, including of interiors and sculptures which come to life through their expressions, gestures, juxtpositions and relationship to the real world.

Thanks to an opportunity to enter the museums of Florence and to photograph the exhibits within for an exibition and a book, Lucia was able to put together a large collection of images which express the life and emotion of the works of art in the same way as her real life subjects.

Baldini’s philosophy in carrying out this work was to capture the human side of the works of art, their emotional, not physical aspect. Physical movement, expressions, sensuality and the realationship between the works and the public.

The photos suggest a new and emotive way for us to view these well-know works of art thanks to Baldini’s way to seeing; through a hidden shadow or a details of the light which renders the work of art alive, tangible, breathing.

The artwork in turn relaxes before our very eyes, no longer under the scruting of thousands of onlookers admiring its form, but in the company of like-munded souls to whom it turns and with a sigh of relief gives of its self completely. No longer the artwork that we recognize from its size, its shape and its form but alive, active, ready to raise its glance at any moment and enter into a relationship with us, the viewer.

Under Baldini’s gaze even the austere enviroment of the museum itself, often intimidating in iits grandeur and splendour becames more welcoming and almost like an intimate hiding place from the world when viewed in this light.

The exibition contains black and white analogue photography for two reasons: firstly to eliminate any association between existing catalogue photographs of these works and secondly and more importantly as a personal tribute to the 19th century photographers who worked in the florentine museums using the sane technique.

LUCIA BALDINI

Lucia Baldini began to develope her narrative style of photography during the middle 1980's working as a professional photographer...